"History
Its origin and design come from an idea germinated in 1990 by the Society for the Protection of City Birds (SPOV) and the Society for the Regulation and Maintenance of Dovecotes (SREP). The first contraceptive dovecote was installed in 1995 in Châtillon in the Hauts-de-Seine in the Paris region. The first in Paris was installed in the 14th arrondissement in 2003.
The goal
Contraceptive lofts are a new kind of loft designed to regulate pigeon populations in the city by performing egg sterilization. Designed and used mostly for municipalities, they are used by some large groups of social landlords.
Defended by animal protection associations, they have seen their development increased for several years within municipalities, preferring the sterilization of eggs to other techniques considered more barbaric.
The contraceptive dovecote regulates without eradicating pigeon colonies, while keeping their population stable. Its overall objective is to restore the place of the pigeon in the city by granting pro and anti-pigeons, a guarantee of good citizenship between inhabitants of the city.
Features
Their designs obey a few safety rules: raised on four feet or on one foot at two meters fifty from the ground, thus avoiding any predator intrusion, hermetic access doors. Although they are small in size, the interior must nevertheless respect certain conditions: the volumes and surfaces of the nesting boxes are well defined, preserving the principles of their ancestors: animal welfare, even if they of course accommodate fewer pigeons.
Operation
Contraception is ensured by manually shaking the eggs, which stops the development of the young. The eggs are left in place so that the females continue to brood and do not desert the dovecote. The maintenance of the dovecote can be ensured by different actors: the city, the company which installed the dovecote, an association for animal protection or integration through urban ecology."